Arsenal's new head coach Unai Emery has told Laurent Koscielny that he will remain club captain for now as he plans a new leadership structure in the squad.

The Frenchman assumed the role by default following the retirement of Per Mertesacker at the end of last season. Having replaced Arsene Wenger in the dugout, the former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain manager has said he sees no reason to upset the order of things behind the scenes.

In his first pre-match press conference since taking charge at the Emirates, the Spaniard was asked about who will skipper his team and reassured Koscielny that he wasn't looking to take the armband away from him in his first few weeks in the job.

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"My idea is to know every player and to know, also, the personality of the players," said Emery ahead of facing Boreham Wood in his first friendly game in charge. "Firstly, Koscielny is the first captain now and for me, I have respect for that."

However, the centre-back won't be alone when it comes to shouldering the responsibility of keeping the dressing room together.

Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker share a joke.

Emery eventually sees a whole team of leaders to steer his side to success, on and off the pitch.

"I think my first idea is to have five captains in the team," he said. "But at the moment, I don't know the names. I need to know more.

"Then, we are looking at, looking for, who are the players whose personality is the best in the dressing room. We want to keep the respect for these players and to find the captain and choose very well the best player for that."